Undermining Health: The Global Crisis of Counterfeit Drugs
The global menace of counterfeit drugs and the illicit medication market pose a dire threat to public health and safety, with profound consequences. An estimated 10%–30% of medicines in developing countries are counterfeit, affecting industrialized nations with a lesser but still significant 1% rate. The counterfeit drug market, valued at an astonishing $200 billion annually, fuels a shadow economy that thrives at the expense of the vulnerable. The majority of these fake drugs, predominantly manufactured in India and China, penetrate markets via $75 billion worth of internet sales (HRF). Counterfeit medications range from lifestyle to lifesaving drugs, leading to adverse health outcomes, treatment failures, development of drug resistance, and a decline in confidence in health systems (BMJ). This illicit trade not only results in excess morbidity and mortality but also undermines the global healthcare infrastructure, demanding urgent and coordinated international response to mitigate its impacts effectively.
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